StevenLast night I made huge plans to drive back to East Glacier (~3hrs this time) and hike 10+ miles to a glacier. However, when I woke up this morning, I did not feel like that was possible. It was probably the few hours of sleep + stress of traveling catching up to me + going non-stop yesterday. I woke up with a massive headache and the overall ‘I don’t feel that great.’ So I decided to take it slow this morning and enjoy another fantastic breakfast at the lodge, take another ibuprofen, and enjoy a long, hot shower.
I researched some local trails located here in Whitefish and found a few that sounded good, so I headed out around 10am.
I forgot to mention that while planning my trip, every single website said “always bring bear spray!” I picked some up at the local supermarket and always have it handy.
First up was the Lion Mountain trail that led to the Skyles Lake overlook. It was an easy trail and not very demanding and the payoff was quite nice!
There was even a bench I enjoyed for a little while, taking in the view.
Because this was an easier trail, there were quite a few people out making the trek to the overlook.
Next up, about 30 minutes away, was the Beaver Lakes trails. There are four lakes off a single road, but I had my eye set on Dollar Lake, which is the smallest one, but had the shortest trail to reach Whitefish Lake overlook.
Silly me thinking the drive out there would be a paved road. Oh no, it was a gravel road covered in potholes. The speed limit was 25mph, however the fastest I went was 15. It took me 30 minutes to go around 5 miles. At one point the road narrowed and if I had met someone, it would’ve been impossible for us to pass: a mountain to my right, a drop-off to my left. Thankfully, no one was leaving as I was going in.
I finally reached the Dollar Lake trailhead and I was the only one there. Given that I’m deep in bear country and it’s advised to make noise while hiking so you don’t surprise a bear around a blind corner, I decided to fire up a podcast, play it on speaker, and keep my phone in my pocket. I think it worked out well.
This was a little more strenuous trail, but nothing too bad. It starts off flat around Dollar Lake, but to get to the overlook, you need to up the elevation.
This might be a lesser-known trail, or maybe people were just smart enough to stay away from that ridiculous road to get there. All-in-all, I enjoyed being the only one out there and feeling like I saw different things than most visitors see.
To finish up the evening, after a much needed rest at the lodge, I went to the city beach and took some pictures just before sunset (the sun sets at 9:30pm! I’m not staying up that late..).
There’s also a newly constructed pedestrian tunnel (as of 2021) that connects a residential area to the fancy downtown area.
That’s all for Whitefish! Tomorrow I have a 6 hour drive to Gardiner where I’ll spend a few days at Yellowstone. Time to go to bed early!
